UK government criticised over decision to demolish Grenfell Tower

The British government has been criticised over its decision to demolish Grenfell Tower, with some of the bereaved calling the move “disgraceful and unforgivable”.

A total of 72 people lost their lives in the tower block on 14 June, 2017, in the deadliest residential fire the UK has seen since the end of World War II.

The charred remains of the 24-storey building still stand in North Kensington, London, covered in layers of protective wrapping.

But on Wednesday evening, the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told those affected by the disaster that the tower will be pulled down.

It is understood that no work will be done before the eighth anniversary of the disaster in June.

Two groups representing survivors and the bereaved put out contrasting statements in the wake of Rayner’s meeting.

“Today’s meeting showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision,” Grenfell United said.

“Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved one’s gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable,” it added.

Some would like to see the tower — or at least part of it - preserved as a memorial to the disaster.

Following Rayner's announcement, Grenfell Next of Kin, another group representing those affected by the fire, said it understood why the decision had been taken.

The group said that it would like the tower to stand as a memorial to the blaze, but that it was not safe for it to do so.

“It [Grenfell Tower] cannot be propped up indefinitely due to safety concerns. As people who have lost families to tragedy, we would never want the responsibility of endangering anybody else,” Grenfell Next of Kin said.

The fire began as a result of a broken refrigerator but quickly spread because of the building’s combustible cladding.

The Grenfell Tower inquiry's chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said in September that the tragedy was preventable.

The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of the firms involved in making and selling them, he said.

The “simple truth” was that the tower’s residents were “badly failed” by authorities "through incompetence" and, in some cases, "through dishonesty and greed", he added.

The Metropolitan Police said last year that criminal charges relating to the fire would not be announced until the end of 2026.